Senior Director, AML & Sanctions, Governance & Policy

Airwallex • New York, NY

12d • $220,000 - $300,000

About The Position

The Financial Crime Compliance (FCC) team at Airwallex is a strategically vital function operating under a clear Three Lines of Defense model. As the independent second line, FCC owns the global AML/CTF program, sanctions framework, risk assessment methodology, and governance infrastructure across all global entities. As Airwallex scales into new markets and deepens its engagement with global regulatory bodies, we are building a world-class compliance organization capable of managing complex financial crime risks at scale. This is an environment where you will tackle high-impact challenges, shape global fintech risk strategies, and help establish foundations for long-term growth.

As Senior Director, AML & Sanctions, Governance & Policy, you will shape and scale Airwallex’s global financial crime policy and risk based program, establish risk appetite and design global risk assessment processes, and define governance frameworks, ensuring compliance is a strategic enabler of growth. You will establish the baseline core compliance standards while guiding regional adaptations, oversee definition of controls across the FCC control framework, strengthen executive risk reporting, oversee risk-informed product engineering, and defend the integrity of the platform before global regulators and institutional partners. You will work closely with the Chief Regulatory and Compliance Officer, Global Head of FCC and senior leaders across the business to turn complex compliance trends into clear action, and shape strategic priorities and initiatives while scaling a high-performing, multi-disciplinary global team.

This role is based in the US or EMEA.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Law, Criminology, Public Policy, Finance, Business Administration, International Relations, or a related analytical field.
• CAMS certification or an equivalent globally recognized compliance credential (e.g., ICA International Diploma in AML).
• 12 to 15+ years of experience in AML, Sanctions, and Financial Crime Compliance within financial services, fintech, payments, or banking.
• At least 5+ years leading a global or multi-jurisdictional compliance policy, governance, or risk methodology function at a senior level.
• Proven experience designing enterprise-wide risk assessment frameworks and maintaining highly centralized global policies with localized regional addenda.
• Demonstrated experience preparing risk papers and leading the defense during high-stakes regulatory examinations and internal or external audits.
• A high-ownership, pragmatic approach, with excellent written communication and stakeholder management skills to influence cross-functional executives and board audiences.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree such as a Juris Doctor (JD), Master of Laws (LLM), or a Master’s degree in Regulatory Compliance or Financial Crime.
• Advanced professional designations such as CAMS-Audit, CGSS (Certified Global Sanctions Specialist), or CAMS-RM (Risk Management).
• Deep fintech and payments experience, including a strong understanding of cross-border payment mechanisms, virtual accounts, multi-currency wallets, or multi-entity regulated groups.
• Experience partnering directly with Product, Data Science, and Engineering teams to hardcode policy thresholds into automated transaction monitoring, screening, and onboarding workflows.
• Strong data literacy and a clear bias toward digital modernization, including the use of automated GRC systems, dashboards, and technology-enabled tools to improve compliance office efficiency.

Responsibilities

• Lead the evolution and maintenance of Airwallex's Global Core FCC Policy Framework, ensuring the compliance baseline meets the expectations of global regulators while supporting business growth and regional scalability.
• Lead the definition and oversight of the FCC governance model and risk management framework, including establishment of risk appetite incorporating business strategy, establishing the risk management framework, including risk acceptance & governance structure, and overseeing design and execution of the enterprise risk assessment
• Define the methodology, thresholds, and data-scoring models used to identify and mitigate financial crime risks globally, partnering with Product, Data Science, and Engineering executives to embed automated compliance controls into the proprietary platform.
• Translate complex compliance data, issues, and audit findings into clear, decision-useful reporting for executive leadership and the Board’s Audit and Risk Committee, establishing clear protocols for material risk escalations.
• Oversee the strategy for regulatory examination defense and disclosure governance, ensuring the team delivers uniform, legally defensible evidence portfolios to global regulators and external clearing partners.
• Drive a unified, risk-aware compliance culture across the organization by establishing the strategic vision for global financial crime training and capability building from engineering to sales teams.
• Support the Global Head of FCC and Chief Regulatory and Compliance Officer in setting and overseeing strategic FCC program priorities and continuous improvement initiatives
• Build and lead a high-performing global second line team of compliance attorneys, quantitative risk modelers, policy writers, and governance managers, supporting Airwallex’s growth with technology-enabled compliance oversight.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior